Pride is the mask of one's own faults.
—Hebrew Proverb
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Fear has many disguises. Sometimes it puts on sexy clothes and talks in
the voice of lust. Sometimes it wears the mask of anger or greed or
envy. And sometimes fear pretends to be pride. "I'm smart and strong,"
we say to ourselves. "I don't need help. Whatever I have to do, I can do
alone." These are the kinds of things we say when we refuse to join a
group or put off asking someone to be our sponsor or even confide in a
friend. |
| But is it pride or fear talking? Pride takes the illogical stand that in spite
of the pain we've lived with for so long we really are better than others.
Fear, on the other hand, whisperingly suggests that others may be better
than we are, so we'd be safer to hold back so they'll never know.
Reaching out for any kind of help would make us vulnerable.
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| But no one grows as well without support. Strength and pride aside, we
need other people's input, insights, and encouragement. We need
people we can trust to hold us accountable. We need to hear about their
struggles and successes. When we insist on going it alone, it's usually
not because we're more independent and self-sufficient than other
people. It's because we're afraid.
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| I need a community of peers for support. |
This meditation comes from the book
Believing in Myself by Earnie Larsen and Carol Hegarty copyright 1991
available through our online bookstore at:
Hazelden Bookplace
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| "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." - Proverbs 16:18 |
| "Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them." - Deuteronomy 1:29 |
